The lesson started with the class watching a clip of Macbeth. There were two points of interest here: the chronological rearrangement of scenes, and the missing presence of some lines from the actual play. The “Long Live the King” line also brings some verbal irony (imminent betrayal of King Duncan). The class and I understood that we were supposed to “get the jist”, despite the changes between media. After finishing, we moved on to the slides for the day.
Aim: How does Shakespeare’s perspective expose the gender roles of Medieval and Elizabethan times through an examination of Lady Macbeth?
Do Now:
PAIR/SHARE
Review the quote.
What does it reveal about Macbeth’s character?
How is his character compared to Banquo’s?
The class had a very vivid discussion about what the quote meant. We referred back to freshman year and implemented our knowledge of figurative vs. literal. Literally, to my understanding, the quote describes stars that produce light, and cover whatever is in the darkness. Figuratively, the class and I believed that it was about outside suppression of innermost thoughts and emotions. It’s interesting how those two concepts are so similar yet different at the same time.
Figurative vs. Literal Language - YouTube This video serves as a great and simple refresher for figurative/literal language.
This photo represents the very famous onion metaphor, where each layer is a part of one’s personality. Not only is it easy to understand, but it also smoothly translates into the questions of the Do Now.
The first question asks what we think the quote reveals about Macbeth’s character. In my opinion, the class was nothing short of on fire here! There were some great thoughts about how Macbeth was covering up his thoughts through interactions with Banquo (more on that soon…) and we reached an answer that seemed right. Macbeth was a man who is overcome with dark thoughts through his power surge, and he doesn’t want them to get out. Those thoughts are what the figurative stars would cover with their light.
The next question directly related to the first. Banquo is presented as honest, loyal, and true to himself. This is essentially the opposite of Macbeth. Macbeth is only thinking about his future now. He is close to getting the grand title, and not much, in his mind, stands in the way. Despite Macbeth being a blatant liar at this point, he REQUESTS HONESTY from Banquo (irony overflow!). Doing this would push him away from his devilish desires, at least to the eye of an outsider.
The class answered these questions with great accuracy, and even I picked up on some unique details relating to the two spoken characters.
TEAMWORK
The Roles of Women in the Medieval Times
Work collaboratively to create a list of roles you believe
were prevalent during this time period.
NO RESEARCHING!!! DISCUSS based on what you
think you know.
This was a discussion where I had some differences in thought from my classmates. My group labeled women of the time as domestic servants to the men in their life. They would do work around the house, take care of children, cook and clean, and their opinions, although valid and intelligent perhaps, were heavily suppressed. The rest of the class did agree with this, HOWEVER, they also said some things I simply wouldn’t agree with. One was that women could use their situations to their advantage. Now, while it is true that women knew the home better than anyone and had undeniable strength in this aspect of life, they simply didn’t have enough impact. Referring back to the pre-lesson, we know that women had close to no representation. Female characters in plays were played by male actors, or players. If women really had a notable advantage, the situation would have been different. This really puts into perspective how far women have come. They are an integral part of society now, and it’s funny how the greatest advancement in society came alongside the advancement in their rights and representation.
This is how women’s rights have progressed | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) Although not directly related, this article shows the rapid progression and advancement of women's rights with a timeline, and is great for comparing the roles of women now to those of the past, including the era in which Macbeth takes place.
Macbeth Reading: Scene 1 Act 5
The most important part of the reading was the introduction to Lady Macbeth. The scene was one of the shorter ones we’ve gone through. Lady Macbeth reads a letter from the messenger. It informs her about Ducan’s upcoming arrival. Macbeth and his madam react nervously and await his arrival. The actual reading went smoothly and everyone played their role with a good amount of spice, keeping everyone, including me, engaged.
TEAMWORK NOW
CLASS DISCUSSION LATER
Consider the role of women…
What do you perceive “milk” symbolizes?
When thinking about milk, conjure up the
image of a mother feeding her innocent child.
What kind of imagery does that evoke?
We sped through this discussion due to time constraints. It was the last task of the day and proved difficult. I thought milk represented motherhood, as it is a staple of maternity beyond humans. The class leaned more toward emotions, like innocence. This was presumably because of milk’s connection to children, which I also understand.
Now as for the imagery, innocence definitely seems more applicable here. Warmth, safety and comfort also came to mind for everyone. It simply reminds everyone of the work all incredible mothers put in. Kindness was also commonly mentioned. Both instantly make mothering in general come to mind, so it was no surprise that the class, my group, and I all came to a consensus relatively quickly.
This is another image relating to motherhood that brings along similar feelings. It directly showcases the attributes of a mother caring for her child in the form of a heart, representing love.
Reflection:
This was a short lesson about the perception of women in society through Shakespeare’s lens, as well as how true intentions and thoughts of people can be unexpectedly different from what is seen on the outside. I learned that Macbeth is officially on a power trip and is trying to suppress his urges through opposing interaction. I also realized how remarkable the changes in women’s life has become, from role to employment to representation and so on. There is A LOT of foreshadowing, like the imminent betrayal of Duncan. There are many elements of irony as well. The trust of Duncan will supposedly be the thing that ends him. The class breezed through most of the discussions, and our thoughts were similar. The best place to apply what I learned today will be, well, later in Macbeth! Something to note is that Macbeth has not officially succumbed to his urges and desires. This lesson prepared me to know when foreshadowing takes place and to identify imagery that can be attributed to the personality of characters. I would absolutely recommend this quick lesson to anyone who is unsure of what Macbeth is really thinking and feeling, and it serves as a great introduction to the Macbeth vs. Banquo man to man conflict.
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